Shades of the Past: Forgotten Memories
by Author ReWritten
Summary: She has waited nine years for this moment. A young woman is desperate to break her brother out of what she believes is a prison. Sonic and the Freedom Fighters have no idea of this stranger until she and her companion have struck. No flaming or I will set every demon known to man and anthropomorph on you. Seriously, no flaming. T for swears and violence.
1. Chapter 1

The train whistle blew and all stepped back as it sped into the station. Among all the passengers stood a girl, her face obscured slightly by her upturned collar. The man at the ticket booth smiled at her politely. "Going to Knothole, miss? Any family there?"

"Yes, but that is none of your concern."

His smile wavered. "Of course. Have a nice trip."

She nodded, picking up her backpack and shouldering it. Heading into the train, she scoped out the travelers, knowing any one of them could be a spy. She took a seat near the emergency exit, in the back. Her orange eyes shifted slightly, taking in the entire train and locating all the exits. Sliding a hand into a trench coat pocket, she squeezed the little stuffed lizard in there with a tinge of anxiety. Here she was, barely twenty-five, and off on an adventure set in a location she'd never been.

Hopefully, she was ready, for she'd waited for this for nine years.

Today, she would free her brother. Free him from this disguised prison of Knothole. Free him from whatever monsters kept him captive.

* * *

Sonic tensed, all his muscles bunched as his ears pricked for the gunshot. As minutes passed, he turned irritably to Knuckles, who appeared to be having problems with the trigger. Rolling his eyes, the blue hedgehog returned his green gaze to the track.

A blur of yellow-orange fur and a voice yelling "Sonic! Knuckles!" caused the named echidna jolt and slap the gun hard, causing it to go off in his face. There was a thud.

"Knucks? You okay, man?"

The red anthropomorph stood, looking dazed. "Wha? Ow. I think that broke my eardrum."

"Baby," snickered the blue blur, turning to his fox buddy. "What's up, T2?"

Tails alighted, tails settling behind him lightly. "Sorry, Knuckles. I was just so excited; I finally got the Tornado to work again."

"Really? That's great, bud," exclaimed Sonic half-heartedly. It wasn't that he didn't like the Tornado, it was that he wanted some adventure. Eggman hadn't attacked in weeks, Scourge was locked up in ZJ (A.N Or so he thinks. Read Scourge Breakout Part Two: Flashfire to find out what is really going on with the green man; plugplugplug), Nega wasn't doing much, etc, etc, etc.

"Can you guys come look at it? Please?" Tails was so hyped-up on happiness and accomplishment that he was nearly vibrating. How could anyone say no to those adorable blue eyes and that adorable little face?

"No, thanks," replied Knuckles. "I've gotta head back up to Angel Island. What if Rouge comes by while I'm not there? I shudder to think of it." The Guardian trudged off, scowling.

Tails turned his angelic face to his adopted big bro and Sonic was caught. Even though the kitsune was nearing his thirteenth birthday, he had yet to lose that innocence that made him look as young as seven. It ensnared so many that he was becoming most accomplished at it.

"Fine, let's go check out the Tornado." Sonic trotted at a brisk pace towards the workshop where Tails worked on his inventions. The kit half-skipped, half-flew after him.

As they neared their destination, a voice lazily called from a tree, "Going to see fox's pet project?"

Sonic glared up at Shadow, who smiled coolly and drawled again "Fangirl at six o'clock, faker."

Before the blue speedster could retaliate, hands clasped around his eyes and a high-pitched, feminine voice trilled "Guess who, Sonniku?"

He groaned and peeled her hands away. "Not now Ames. I'm hanging with Tails."

The pink hedgehog pouted, folding her arms. "Can I come with you?" She gave them her most winning smile.

"No, sorry. Didn't Ailee say she didn't want you near her inventions since the make-up fiasco?"

The girl sighed, but brightened almost instantly, grabbing her hero's arm. "Sonniku, there's a couples' dance this weekend. Want to go with me?"

"Sorry again. I'm helping Knux plant some trees on Angel Island."

Amy frowned now, her jade eyes narrowing to near-slits, and she called up to the hedgehog in the tree "Shadow, Tonya's looking for you."

The black hedgehog's eyes widened involuntarily before he adjusted his expression back to cool disdain. "Blast!" he hissed "I thought I'd lost her! Chaos Control!" With a green flash, he disappeared from the tree.

Sonic watched as Amy walked off, asking "Tails, does Shadow seem more tense to you?"

The child prodigy considered. "Yeah. Maybe he isn't sleeping too well?"

"Probably. Tansy and Doctor Quack say he has mild insomnia so that might be affecting him. Anyway, let's go see that plane of yours."

Tails smiled, doing his best to imitate Shadow. "My 'pet project'."

Sonic chuckled and they continued on their merry way.

**Sorry, this has been bouncing around in my brain for almost a year. I had this dream a while ago, about a sister looking for her little brother, frantic with worry, and it evolved into this mess. Excuse me for my ideas.**

**The girl on the train is property to me because she was in my dream. As are Tonya and Tansy. Ailee is dedicated to my friend who lost her dog to cancer. **


	2. Chapter 2

"HE DOESN'T LOVE ME!" Amy swung her hammer in the air with total frustration and despair scrawled across her features. Her best friend, Tonya, slid under the hammer blows with ease until Amy had calmed down sufficiently to explain what bothered her. Tonya was younger than Amy, with green eyes as well and purple spines dusted with glitter.

The little pink hedgehog finally stopped, slumping down on a nearby rock. Her green eyes watered up and she sniffled. Tonya sat next to her and put an arm around her friend. "It's okay Ames. Sonic's gotta be madly in love with you. Why else would he run so much? He wants you to chase him. And when you catch him, you can convince him. It's simple."

Amy wiped away a persistent tear and looked hopefully at her friend. "You really think so?"

"I know so." Tonya assured her, smiling brightly. As Amy hopped to her feet, the purple hedgehog's smile turned into a snarl. "And he will realize his love for you, Amy, or I'll make him realize it!" she vowed under her breath.

"What was that, Tonya?" asked Amy innocently, oblivious to her friend's schemes.

"Nothing. Let's go find my cousin!"

* * *

She exited the train just within Knothole's boundaries. Her eyes quickly took in the train station with its teleporter. But the sign before her, proclaiming 'Welcome to Knothole!' in big yellow letters and 'Home of Sonic the Hedgehog!' below it in slightly smaller blue letters, attracted her attention the most. "Knothole at last," she whispered softly, afraid if she spoke the name too loud, it would all just melt away and she'd wake up, grasping at a dream.

Shouldering her knapsack once more, she made as if to exit the station with the throng of others. When the guards weren't looking, she doubled back and clambered up the walls. At the top, she slipped a knife from her pocket and quietly pried open the back of a security camera. The power core was jiggled out of its spot and the camera went dead. The girl cut the cords, mangling it until the camera was no longer salvageable. Finally she tugged out the memory card, enfolding it in a tightly clenched fist until it shattered. The remains were flung to the wind and she ran across the roof to the next, repeating the procedure all over again.

After all the cameras were successfully destroyed and disposed of, she jumped neatly to the ground and followed the crowd of tourists until she found a quiet place to stop. Slinking behind a house, she knelt down to open her bag. Just unsnapping the latch, she stiffened, eyes watering slightly...

_"Where are you going?" He sat on the edge of her bed, swinging his legs. His curious eyes followed her about the room as she packed. She took a glance at his worried eyes and pouting face, giving him a reassuring smile. It didn't work as he persisted "Where are you going?"_

_As she folded a shirt into her knapsack, she replied, "You know full well where I'm going, mister. There's no need to ask again because it won't change a thing. I have business to take care of."_

_"What business?" He stopped swinging his legs and tensed, his hands gripping fistfuls of the covers._

_"I have to help my co-workers convince the Council that we Alchemysts need our jobs back." She snapped the latch shut and rubbed it for luck. As she straightened, she noticed his quivering lower lip. "Now, buddy, don't-"_

_"But you promised you wouldn't leave like Daddy and Mommy! You promised!" He sprang from the bed and wrapped his skinny arms around her waist._

_She strained to pry him off. Easier said than done; he was stronger than he looked. "Buddy, please! If I don't go, I'll lose my job and our income! Larry's downstairs and you like him! Please, please don't do this bud!"_

_"I don't want Larry! I want you to stay! Don't leave me here!" He wailed, tears dripping down his face._

_"Buddy-"_

_"Take me with you then! I can make myself small enough to fit in your suitcase! I can take notes at the meeting! You taught me my letters!"_

_"You know I can't do that-"_

_"March Hare! Your taxi's here!" Their guardian's voice echoed up the stairs._

_"Oh crudohcrudohcrud!" she yelped, glancing at the wall-clock. After a bit of pleading, prying, and praying, she was downstairs, pulling on her trench coat._

_Larry the squirrel got up to check out the window. The cab-driver was waiting impatiently. He turned to her. "Where's the little dormouse?" he asked, using his special nickname for her little brother._

_"Holed up inside his favorite hiding spot. I think he's a bit shell-shocked that I'm leaving." She sighed. "Larry, please take care of him for me. I know what I'm doing must seem cruel to him, but it's for the best."_

_Then she raised her voice. "Buddy, if you don't come out to say good-bye, I'll leave for even longer!"_

_There was a crash from the bedroom and he came pelting down the stairs. When he saw she was still there, he stopped and folded his arms, sticking out his lower lip. "That was mean, Ally," he muttered sulkily._

_She opened her arms as he padded down the stairs to the first floor. As she hugged him, she whispered into his ear "Try your best not to hold your grudges for too long, sweetheart. I'll come back."_

_"When you do, can we start playing basketball again? Please?" _

_She hesitated. She had stopped it after she had caught glimpses of men in dark suits watching them. "Okay bud. As long as you promise to be nice to Larry while I'm gone. It's not his fault the Councilmen are..."_

_"A*******!" he giggled. Larry gave her a stern look over his square glasses and she grinned guiltily. Oh, she was gonna be in trouble for that one. _

_"Bye!" she told the squirrel and gave her brother one last kiss between the ears before high-tailing it out of the house. But as she got into the taxi, their voices carried on the wind. _

_"Want to play a board game, Dormouse?"_

_"You can. I'm gonna wait for her to come back."_

"Don't worry, buddy," she muttered now, pulling out the dart-blower and the poison-tipped darts and slotting them into the opening. "You won't wait any longer. I'm coming to rescue you."

* * *

Sonic dribbled the basketball on the sidewalk, faking around Tails and ducking under Knuckles' quick swipe at him. Sargon, Cream's adopted hedgehog brother, grinned and stole it out of his hands, dribbling down to the five-point mark and making a tough shot. It bounced off the backboard, but went in, much to Sonic's team's chagrin.

"How on Mobius did you manage to make that shot?" Knuckles demanded in between gulps of water from the plastic bottles on the sidelines.

Sargon twirled the ball on one finger. "Practice," he grinned cockily "Practice and patience, two things you dudes don't have." Like Sonic and Knuckles, Sargon was sixteen, with yellow-green spines and light orange eyes.

Sonic took the ball from him with a smirk. "Best two out of three?" he challenged. Sargon's eyes blazed at the thought of a chance to prove his skill. "You're on."

Before they could resume their game, a pink blur came tearing out of the road and tackled Sonic! "Sonniku! I found you!"

"Amy! Get off me!" cried Sonic, struggling to push her off. Sargon grasped Amy's elbow and wrenched her away, angry orange eyes boring a hole in her forehead.

"Excuse me, miss, but we are in the middle of a game. Kindly remove yourself." While polite, his words had a dark bite to them and his grip tightened around her arm until she squeaked. "Let go!"

The hedgehog relinquished his grip and she scurried away, crying. Sonic stood and glared at him. "That was mean. There was no need to hurt her."

"She was irritating," replied Sargon frostily, folding his arms. "And she was interrupting. She needed to leave."

"You could have just asked her. Amy's reasonable." Sonic growled, picking up his basketball and turning to go.

"Wait, where are you going?" Sargon lost his icy tone and sounded hopeless. "I thought we were going to play a game."

"Not until you apologize to Amy."

"Fine, I'll go do something else then." Sargon stalked away, spines bristling. Sonic watched him go, momentarily struck dumb. When he regained his voice, he asked "What the hell's wrong with that guy? He acted like apologizing was worse than not having friends."

"Weird," murmured Tails, eyes wide. Sonic remembered that his buddy was only twelve. "Please don't repeat what I said to your mom, Tails."

"Why? Are you afraid she won't like you anymore?"

"No. I'm afraid she won't make me anymore chili dogs when I come over."

**Sargon and Tonya are property of moi, along with Larry the Squirrel.**


	3. Chapter 3

She felt her fingers close on the little beanbag lizard. "There you are." She was sitting behind a building, near the garbage cans. The stink of rotting trash wafted around her and she tried her best not to gag as she set the toy down on the pavement. "Psych," she called coaxingly "Psych. Come out."

Her elder brother's voice reverberated around her skull. _Hi, little sis! How's it hanging? And you know what you have to do to summon me. It's in the rule book._

She groaned aloud and glared into the lizard's black button eyes, which reflected the light of the moon. "I summon you, shade of the dead, child of the light, brought into suffering. I call your name, Psych Owain, and I offer you life once more." Switching out of script, she added in her best stern voice "Now get your butt out here before I change my mind."

The lizard's mouth opened, breaking the stitches that held it, and a dirty-looking green smoke wafted out. It curled around her face, making her cough. The smoke reeked of bloody fur and hot rusty metal. Long, drawn-out howls punctuated the eerie silence. A dark form stepped out of the mystical-looking smoke, grinning from ear to ear. He was half-roboticized, with his left side armored in metal and his shoulders covered by iron plates that were grafted to his skin. "Hey, sis! What year is it?" asked Psych.

She shook her head at him in disapproval, a smile creasing her features against her wishes. "You know what year it is, you nut, unless your years in the afterlife have screwed up your brain." Her smile vanished. "Now, to business. I found him. He's in Knothole like we suspected. The so-called citizens are his captors. We have to get him out. I've taken out the security cameras, so-"

"Ally," he interrupted, his cocky grin peeling away as well. "I'm dead. I can't do anything. Look, I can't even touch you." It was true. When Psych tried to grip her shoulder, his hand wavered and disappeared. He grimaced, pulling it back and cradling it to his chest.

"I'm transferring life energy to you."

"What? But for that, you'd need-" His mint-green eyes widened. "You found the Master Emerald!"

"Yep, just where Mom always told us it was. Remember that silly nursery rhyme she taught us?"

"All around Angel Island  
The echidna chased the weasel  
The echidna used the big emerald  
And POP goes the weasel!"

Psych made his un-roboticized eye widen at the pop. Her sister giggled at him. "Yeah. Did Mom teach that one to you when you were little?"

"Yeah. She was a stickler for nursery rhymes. When the little guy was born, she insisted on making him memorize it. She said that if he was lost, he could find his way home by that rhyme. Stupid, huh?"

"Alice, Mom's an ex-con. They're all a little crazy." She pretended to slug him. Her orange eyes went hard. "I'm going to get him out so he can see Mom and Dad and their crazy habits again. C'mon Psych." She scooped up the little toy and beckoned her wraith-like brother to follow. "We've got a chicken to kill."

* * *

Knuckles woke up with a horrible wrenching in the pit of his stomach. He pulled on his socks and gloves and slid out of the nest he had made in the blankets. Padding outside as silently as a cat, he heard squawking and ringing laughter. His face was bathed in moonlight as the echidna slunk into the night, heading straight for the shrine his ancestors had built.

Entering the Aztec-like building, he spent precious few seconds marveling at the stonework, before stealing down the hall to the Master Emerald's altar. Coming to the room where the Master Emerald resided, he peered around the empty door frame, noting once more how he'd have to get a door. Inside the room was dark, but he could see the outline of a person kneeling over the Master Emerald. A girl, from the pitch of the laughter ricocheting around the high ceilings.

She was doing something to the Master Emerald. The moon shone a sudden shaft of light through one of the missing stone bricks and glinted off the silver blood-smeared blade of a knife. Knuckles felt rooted to the floor by the utter sinisterness of the situation. Then the Master Emerald began to glow.

The energy wave nearly threw the Guardian off his feet. It felt twisted and all-together wrong. The stench of blood and metal filled the room and shrieking keening wails replaced the intruder's laughter. It took all of Knuckles' training and strength to not curl up in the fetal position and pray. A dark figure stepped out of the smoke, teeth glinting as it smiled.

This one was male and the moonlight illuminated green fur, metal limbs, and a metal eye. He was also taller than the girl by a few inches. The strangers embraced and turned towards the doorway to leave. Their eyes met Knuckles' and they exchanged glances. On some unspoken signal, they leapt off the shrine and converged on the crimson-colored guardian.

He was ashamed to admit it later, but he ran. The mocking laughter echoed after him, melding with his pursuers' footsteps. A dark cloud rolled over the moon and Knuckles sped out of the temple, his brain telling him to turn and fight, but every molecule in his body saying _Run idiot! RUN!_

He wound up in one of the caves on Angel Island, arms wrapped around himself, and haunted the whole night through by visions of something rising from the grave and feeling the dark pulse slither into his mind, over and over again.

* * *

Sonic glanced skeptically at the echidna. Knux had been raving about zombies, knives, and undead robots for the past half-hour. What he was saying didn't seem plausible, especially in the white counter-tops of Tansy's kitchen. Sonic's cousin was sitting on the stool opposite from the echidna and frowning as she listened to his garbled speech, occasionally interrupting to ask him to eat a bit of toast or an apple.

"Knuckles," came Tanisha's voice from where she sat at her easel, "Were they light-furred? Dark-furred?" She held a sketch pencil at the ready.

"I'm not sure." Knuckles nibbled at the corner of his toast, brow furrowed in concentration. Sonic rolled his eyes, earning a light sock in the shoulder from Tansy, and shoved another forkful of syrup-soaked waffles into his mouth. _Mmm, waffles._

"Did you see what color their eyes were?" Nisha made a note of _Not sure _next to where she had written fur color.

"The female's were orange and the male's green." Knuckles took a bigger bite of his toast, starting to feel hungry.

"Orange," the elder turquoise hedgehog said, surprised. "That's a weird color. I've only seen a few with orange eyes. Do echidnas ever have orange eyes?"

The Guardian slowed and swallowed. "Not sure," he mumbled. "Maybe they were echidnas."

Tansy's sister made a quick note of the eye color. "What did the rest of them look like?"

"Well, one was male and the other female. She had orange eyes and wore a trenchcoat that's collar was turned up over her face.

"He was a few inches taller than her with green eyes. His left side was roboticized and he had these big metallic shoulder plates. That's about it."

"Did you see what species they were?" was Tanisha's next query.

"I'm thinking echidnas but really they could be anything. I didn't see long necks, beaks, scales or wings, though, so that rules out the reptile family, dragons, giraffes, bats and birds. Maybe they're hybrids?"

Sonic snickered. "Knux was too busy running and screaming to ask." He dodged the punches Tansy and Knuckles threw at him simultaneously and ate some more waffles.

Shadow chose that moment to walk through the front door. He waved a piece of paper. "Hello. I got a note from Tansy. You wanted to talk to me?"

Sonic's cousin blinked and Sonic could almost imagine her as a chao with a question mark-shaped topknot. "No, I didn't send you a note."

There was a whooshing sound and Shadow was tackled by Tonya. Only his reflexes allowed him to remain standing. The lilac hedgehog wrapped her arms around his waist and stared up into his red eyes adoringly. "Hi Shaddy."

"Get off," he snarled in return, squirming to escape her death grip. Amy padded down the oak stairs in her pink nightgown, yawning and rubbing her eyes. The jade orbs widened as she saw Sonic and the pink fangirl slid into the seat next to him. "Hi Sonie."

"Hey Amy," he replied, leaning away slowly. "What are you doing here?"

Tanisha offered him the answer without looking up from the landscape she was painting. "Amy and Tonya had a sleepover last night. I'm surprised you didn't hear their pillow fight when you came in. Speaking of which, you were out until eleven, little cousin. Was it Eggman again?"

"Yeah. The fat man had another Doomsday Device he needed me to destroy." The cobalt hedgehog stretched and scraped his plate for the last drops of syrup. "I don't understand why we can't have chili dogs for breakfast."

"Because they're high in sodium and low in calcium. Maybe we'll have them for dinner." Tansy threw her twin a yogurt and got up to begin the long arduous process of peeling her little sister off of Shadow. It was arduous because every time she pulled Tonya away, the lilac hedgehog just wrenched away from her sister and clung to her crush again. The ebony hedgehog was beginning to look uncomfortable.


	4. Chapter 4

_She watched in disbelief as he moved his knight forward with a triumphant "Checkmate! I win!" He crossed his skinny arms and grinned at her._

_The older sister laughed in delight. "Now that you can beat me in checkers and chess, I guess we'll have to find a new game for you to master." She stretched and glanced and the clock, scowling at its hands before saying "Look at the time! C'mon kiddo, I've got to do some work."_

_He sagged a little, ears drooping. "Already? But I thought we were gonna play Go Fish..." _

_"I know, buddy, me too." She ruffled his headfur, thinking quickly of a solution. "Tell you what, if you wear the goggles and promise to sit really, really still, I'll let you watch. How's that sound?"_

_"Yeah!" he cheered. He liked nothing more than to watch her brew up explosive mixtures downstairs."Okay, then go get your goggles and-" _

_He darted out of the room before she could finish her sentence. A yell from upstairs caused her to come running. "Dormouse? You okay?"_

_At the top of the stairs, on the landing, her sister glared down at the little guy. "Gosh, Ally, could you let your trained puppy outside? He nearly wrecked my Necromancer's Encyclopedia!" Her grip tightened on the staff she held, pointing its tip at her little brother threateningly._

_"Brina, he's your brother too!" Still, she scooped him up and carried him past Sabrina, despite his protests of "I can walk! Put me down!" She set him down when they reached the room they shared. A third of it was Sabrina's as well and her side was covered in books with ominous titles such as _Bones and Black Magic: A Necromancer's Guide to Dead People. _She nudged it out of his reach before setting the five-year-old down. _

_"Now, find your goggles without touching Brina's stuff."_

* * *

She watched a group of Mobians walk by, chattering aimlessly. In the little group there was a blue hedgehog, a yellow-orange fox, and a rabbit with a red bicycle. A chao flew around the rabbit's head, chaoing to itself. None of them was her brother, but they'd have to do. The fox had the largest Chaos signature, so she took aim, slotting a poison dart into the blowpipe.

_Thwt! _The sound made the hedgehog look up from the basket he was holding and knock the fox out of the way. The dart embedded itself in the back of the chao, right between its wings. It chaoed in dismay and fell in little spirals to the ground. "Cheese!" screamed the little rabbit, scooping up her friend. "Don't die Cheese!"

"Cream, get Cheese out of here!" The hedgehog was scanning the rooftops, his green eyes cold. They lit on her and she could feel herself quail. Even though she was wearing a mask, it seemed like the hedgehog could see right through her. Then he was gone from his spot and next to her. "WHat are you? Another of Eggman's robots?"

The fox flew up to the roof too, in a fighting stance. She was cornered and outnumbered. "PSYCH OUT!" A greenish energy surrounded the fox and threw him off the roof. Psych came racing over, vaulting off the roof railing and slamming the hedgehog to the square below. While the two lay there, dazed and confused, she and Psych ran off. They had been seen.

* * *

Sonic stalked into the bakery, looking livid. His spines were puffed out in rage. When he saw the tearful brown eyes looking up at him, he softened. "You okay Cream? How's Cheese?"

The tan rabbit sniffled and squeezed her mother's chao, Chocola, tightly. Choco chaoed and looked solemnly at Sonic. "Mommy has him, Mister Sonic. She's taking care of him. Oh, Mister Sonic, why would anyone want to hurt Cheese?"

Vanilla came in from the back room. Her brown eyes were grave. "Sonic, please take Cheese to Doctor Quack. He's terribly ill." She set a wrapped-up Cheese, who was shaking and chaoing, into his arms. "Go quickly."

"Gotcha, Mrs. R.," replied the blue speedster.

"Mommy, Cheese will be alright, won't he?" Cream was crying again and Vanilla gathered the little girl up in her arms. "Shh, shh, of course sweetie. Cinnamon, dearest! Please watch the bakery! I'm taking Cream out."

Cinnamon, Vanilla's husband, glanced up from where he was stirring some ingredients and nodded. "Sage! Mint! Start putting the cookies and the crepes into the shelves! Remember the regulated temperatures!" His daughters nodded, running about the shop eagerly.

Sonic sped out of the bakery and over to New Knothole's hospital. Doctor Quack was talking to a giraffe when the hedgehog blew in. The receptionist shrieked as her papers scattered. "Doctor Quack! Cheese was shot by a dart!"

The duck looked up instantly. "Let me see him!" he demanded. Sonic passed the little wrapped bundle over and Doctor Quack unwrapped the chao slightly. Cheese was shivering and chaoing, topknot formed into an exclamation point.

Doctor Quack nodded farewell to the giraffe and hurried into the emergency room. As Sonic tried to follow, Tansy, just coming down the hall, stopped him. "No clients in there. Only patients and doctors."

"But-!"

"Sonic, go home. You can't do anything else."

The blue blur's shoulders slumped and he ran back out. Moving slower than usual to minimize sound, he leapt up onto a roof and flattened himself to the shingles. Crawling in this way, he checked a few roofs for the intruders. _They have some nerve, coming to my home and shooting defenseless chao! _he thought indignantly. _And I will find and stop them, if it's the freaking last thing I ever freaking do! _

Tiles behind him clattered and a harsh voice growled in his ear "Where is my little brother?" as ice-cold hands closed on his ankles.

* * *

**Look, I realize Chocola's supposed to be Cream's chao, but Chocola and Vanilla go better together, like chocolate and vanilla, you know. Until next time readers!**


	5. Chapter 5

She grabbed the blue hedgehog's ankles and whispered into his ear "Where is my little brother?" He squirmed and kicked, but she held firm and dragged him backwards across the roof. He was too proud to yell for help, keeping silent even as she slapped a piece of tape over his mouth. He regarded her calmly as she hauled him into a warehouse. Yes, she knew a warehouse was a bit cliche, but there weren't many other places in a place as bright and new as New Knothole.

Setting him on the floor, she tied his ankles and wrists together. He raised an eyebrow and she scowled at him from under the mask. "Yeah, I know that doing this is cliche okay? And it's overused, but I just need freaking information."

He rolled his eyes downward towards the tape and she sighed. "It was to stop you from screaming." He gave her a look that clearly said _Scream? Me? _She groaned and ripped the tape off.

The blue hedgehog spat experimentally and licked his lips a few times before speaking. "Who are you?"

"Who are _you_?" she retorted.

"I asked first."

"I have the gun."

"Sonic the Hedgehog, Hero of Mobius." He gave her a cocky grin. "Now what about you?"

"You don't need to know that." She stood from her crouching position. "Where's my little brother?"

"What's his name?"

"His middle name is Erec."

"Don't know him." She hit him across the face. He coughed and spat blood.

"Don't lie to me," she hissed, grabbing his chin. He glared with emerald eyes at her.

"Honestly, I don't know any Erec." She let go of his face and moved back a bit.

"Who do you work for?"

"Myself. You?"

"Same," she found herself replying. She shook her head angrily, biting her lips. _Don't tell the idiot anything! _It was because she kind of liked his defiance. She admired people who defied her; it was an impulse. Slamming her fist on a table, she glared full-force at the 'hero'. "Who is your enemy then?"

"Robotnik."

"The fat man's still alive then?"

"Yep."

"Damn. I had hoped he was dead. Is he still obese?"

"Enormously." Sonic grinned at his captor. He kind of liked this girl, except for the fact she was holding him prisoner. That last bit he could do without. "Okay, my turn to ask questions."

"Fair enough." The girl crouched down to be face-to-face with him, more like mask-to-face.

"Are you a Mobian?"

"By birth, yes."

"How old are you?"

"Twenty-one."

"What does your brother look like?"

"He looks like me and my father."

"What do you look like? I can see orange eyes."

"Guess." Her eyes, what he could see of them, narrowed and he hoped she was smiling.

"Hmmm, you are a polka-dotted echidna with orange eyes and you like to play the tuba."

"No. You used up your guess." She stood and pulled a small bottle out of her pocket, along with a rag. "Say good night." She poured a bit of liquid onto the rag and pressed it to his mouth and nose. Sonic, knowing what was coming, held his breath for as long as possible. The world was starting to spin as he finally breathed in, which made it stop and start spinning in the opposite direction.

* * *

Amy Rose ran to Cream's home and knocked on the door. Vanilla opened it and smiled at her. "Is Cream home?" panted the sakura-pink hedgehog, breathless from her run.

"Yes, she's upstairs." Vanilla ushered her in and Amy thanked her before pounding up the stairs.

Cream was sitting on her bed, face buried in a stuffed puppy Amy and Tonya had pooled their money to buy for her on her eighth birthday. The room was a pale blue color with pictures tacked all over the walls. Amy looked fondly at one in particular, an adorable picture of Cream sitting on Shadow's shoulders in her living room as the ebony hedgehog was pretending to throw her off. When he had realized that someone was watching, he had dumped Cream onto the couch and Chaos Controlled away.

Another featured Cream hugging Big the Cat and Amy with Cheese on her shoulder. Sonic was half-in, half-out of the picture because Amy had been trying to make him stand next to her.

The tan rabbit sniffled and Amy dropped onto the bed beside her. "You okay, Floppy?" she asked, using Sonic's affectionate nickname for her.

Cream snuffled and leaned on her friend's shoulder. "Amy, if Cheese dies and doesn't evolve back into an egg, does that make me a bad chao raiser? I want to raise chao when I grow up. And Cheese is my partner. He wanted to help and now he's sick."

"Oh, Cream, don't worry. Doctor Quack is the best and Cheese is the strongest chao I know. He won't go down without a fight." Amy hopped off the bed. "Plus, Sonic's going to track down the poisoner and if he can't do it, nobody can!" She struck a confident pose, her hammer resting on her shoulder.

"But what if he can't? What if Cheese does die?"

"He won't fail and Cheese won't die. I promise." Amy's green eyes met Cream's brown. "I promise," the cherry blossom-hedgehog repeated, certain that her crush would pull through.

* * *

Shadow skated down the sidewalk of New Knothole, his movements quick and precise. He was trying to figure out who would want to hurt a chao, when he heard a soft groaning. Pausing, the midnight hedgehog swiveled his ears, rather like a satellite dish until he had pinpointed the direction, then sped towards it.

"Faker?" The blue hedgehog looked up from his position on the ground. "Oh, hey, Shads."

"Don't call me that," he said reflexively. "What are you doing?" Sonic had his arms and legs tied together and was squirming around on the cement.

"What does it look like? I'm trying to get out of these ropes!" The cobalt hedgehog writhed some more, but finally gave up.

Shadow sighed and knelt down next to Sonic. "How the hell did you do that?"

"I didn't. Some girl, the one who attacked Cheese did." The Ultimate Lifeform's eyes narrowed into slits.

"You'd have to be psychotic to hurt a chao," mused Shadow quietly. He stood up, deaf to the rest of Sonic's speech. "I'm going to find her."

Sonic glared at him. "Well, that's great and all, but could you please untie me?!"

Shadow glanced at his rival, thinking it over. "Nah." He skated off, ignoring Sonic's protests.

**Oh, Shadow. You are epic. ;P Will Cheese pull through? Will the mysterious girl's identity be discovered? Perhaps...**


	6. Chapter 6

**Is it cliche for me to join the legion of Shadow fangirls? Yes? No? Ah, screw it. I will anyway. I have to give Shadow a muffin though first. Here, Shadow, Shadow, Shadow! Here, Shaddy!**

**Shadow: *stares at me like I'm insane, which is true.* I am not going to come to you for a- *stops* Is that a chocolate cherry muffin?**

**Me: *waves it around* Yes.**

**Shadow: *begins drooling, eyes fixated on the muffin***

**Disclaimer: Tara owns the various OCs, herself, chocolate cherry muffins, and as of now, her version of Shadow.**

**Shadow: *nomming blissfully on a muffin, ignoring the fact that I'm hugging him***

She watched the passerby, feeling disgusted. All of these people, were they Eggman's brainwashed soldiers? How else would the blue one resist her patented truth serum? She rolled onto her back, watching the skies warily. Her brother had gone by Erec most of his life, so why would they not recognize the name? Unless...

The masked girl activated her headset. "Psych?"

"Yo?" The half-metal adult was lying on a roof, halfway across town, mind drifting away with the clouds.

"Psych, it's me. Could they be calling him by his first name?" At her words, the mint eyes snapped open. He sat up slowly.

"Maybe..."

* * *

Tonya was sitting at her desk, playing on her computer when Amy banged through the door. The lilac hedgehog exited quickly out of the window and swiveled to face her friend. The sakura hedgehog threw herself down on the black-sheeted bed, burying her face in one of the red heart-shaped pillows. A Shadow plush toy fell off the bed.

Tonya went over and picked it up again, setting it carefully on her rocking chair before perching beside Amy. The cherry hedgehog groaned and slid off the bed, looking at her friend with mingled anger and horror. "How could someone do something like that to a chao?" she asked.

Tonya picked up the plush again, stroking its head softly, considering her answer. "Well, they'd have to be extremely cruel. A chao is like the personification of innocence. There is no way anyone sane would do that. By the way, how is Cheese?"

"He's basically in a coma. Cream is frantic and Choco is horrified." Amy covered her face with her hands. "What are we going to do? If Cream is distraught, the whole world will fall apart."

* * *

"Sonic, this is a very serious case of poisoning." Doctor Quack fixed his left eye on Sonic, which in fact, was his only eye. The blue hedgehog nodded as the duck went on. "The chao has been poisoned with the venom of the white scorpion, a very dangerous creature on its own. The cure is a certain flower that grows only in DownUnda. It looks a bit like this." Doctor Quack drew a rough sketch of a crescent moon. "Those flowers are called moonflowers for they only bloom at night in warm weather. We need three flowers, fully bloomed, to make the antidote."

The hedgehog nodded once more, his face grave. "When do we leave?"

* * *

"No!" Sally Acorn slammed her fist on the conference table. "You are not leaving New Knothole for DownUnda! Remember the last time you went there?"

"Sal," said Sonic gently "I'm Sonic the Hedgehog. I can take care of myself."

The princess glared furiously at him, then cooled. "I'm sorry Sonic. This time, at least take backup. How about Knuckles?"

"He has to guard the Floating Island and last time he left Tikal nearly bit his ear off."

"Tails?"

"Sal, do you really think his mom wants him to go halfway around the world?"

"Point. Sargon? He's been dying for some adventure."

Sonic hesitated, recalling the poisonous look Sargon had given him after their last encounter and the way he had glared at Amy. "I suppose so."

"And you'll need a third wheel... Shadow?"

"The guy _hates _me, Sally."

"I know, but I think he's bored here. And if Shadow's bored, he might as well be Eggman's right-hand man for all the damage he'll cause." The chestnut squirrel leaned back in her chair, blue eyes boring into emerald.

Sonic recalled the day when Shadow had gotten fed up with Tonya's clinginess and had thrown her through a row of buildings. It had taken several weeks to rebuild. "You have a point." He sighed, resigned to Sally's orders and trooped out the door to tell the others.

* * *

Sargon and Shadow were tossing insults at each other when Sonic found them. Shadow was sitting in his favorite tree, a big ash just inside the city borders, and Sargon was perched on a stone bench, face screwed up in concentration as he fired the worst words in his artillery at the midnight hedgehog. They paused at his approach, heads cocking simultaneously.

"Hey."

"Faker," greeted Shadow expressionlessly. Sargon avoided the cobalt hedgehog's gaze, instead fixing his eyes on a branch just above Shadow's head.

"I'm headed to DownUnda to find something for Cheese's cure. Want to come with?"

Sargon's orange gaze lit up. "Oh, heck yeah!" He hopped off the bench and jumped around like an excited puppy. "When can we go? Are we going now? Oh, I have to go tell Vanilla." Sonic noted that even after living with the Rabbit family for two years, the yellow-green hedgehog still didn't address them as his family. The excited foundling darted off, heading for the bakery Vanilla and her family ran.

Shadow watched him go, then shifted his crimson stare to Sonic. "Why would you want me to come along?"

"Sally thinks you're bored. And we all know what tends to happen when you get bored." Sonic rolled his eyes to the heavens, as if asking why oh why did Sally suggest he do this.

Shadow nodded, thinking it over. "If this was just a vacation you know there would be a snowball's chance in Hell of me coming along. But since it's for Cream, count me in."

The hero's jaw dropped. He had been hoping that Shadow would say no, but the nigrescent hedgehog's friendliness with Cream had apparently influenced the decision. Sonic nodded, now feeling incredibly miserable. If it had just been Sargon, he could have handled it. But Shadow, well, it was practically impossible to control him if he didn't want to take orders.

Shadow leapt out of the tree and landed without a sound. Meeting Sonic's eyes, he nodded in agreement, almost as if he had read Sonic's thoughts. Then he skated away, the flames from his shoes leaving soot-black marks on the gray sidewalks.

**Dear readers, I realize there must be a question in all of your minds. Cream has a large family because of biology. Rabbits have huge families. That is all. Happy reading!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Ooh. Seven is my lucky number! Hopefully this will be my lucky chapter.**

"Now, Sargon, you remembered to pack a sweater, right?" Vanilla fussed over her adopted son like he was one of her own. Cream clung to her mother's legs, only letting go to run over and hug Shadow and Sonic. The little bunny hadn't forgiven Sargon for hurting Amy, her best friend. The yellow-green hedgehog scowled at Cream and stuck out his foot to trip her as she hurried past.

Shadow stopped Cream from falling and put her on his shoulders, skating around the airport with her before setting her back down. "Bye, floppy," he whispered close to her ears. She nuzzled up to him then scampered over to glomp Sonic. He lifted her up saying "Adios, flop-ears. Be good."

"Okay, Mister Sonic. Bye Shadow."

Sonic met Shadow's eyes, asking "Why doesn't she address you as Mister?" The black hedgehog smirked back, saying "I guess I'm just more lovable than you, faker."

"Yeah, right." replied the hero sarcastically as Sargon came over to join them. The other hedgehog boy had just gotten chewed out by Cinnamon for attempting to hurt Cream, so he looked sulky.

"Let's go," muttered the orange-eyed Mobian, heading up into the plane. Sonic bumped fists with Tails and followed. Shadow merely gave everyone a stony-eyed gaze before trailing behind. From her mother's arms, Cream felt that he had looked a little lonely and hoped he would like the surprise she had tucked into Sargon's suitcase for him.

* * *

Shadow was assigned to sit beside Sonic and next to the window. About halfway through the flight, the ebony hedgehog fell asleep, face smushed up against the thick plastic. About five seconds later, though, he woke up to Sonic waving a feather under his nose. "Would you quit that, you fool?" he snapped, snatching the feather away from him. A weird smell attacked his olfactory senses and Shadow coughed, smacking a hand over his nose and mouth. "What moron smokes on a plane?"

Sonic sniffed, before unbuckling his seat belt and getting up on his knees to check on Sargon. The yellowish hedgehog had set a teddy bear on fire and was playing with a box of matches. The hero leapt from his seat and wrenched the matches away from him before stomping out the flaming teddy bear. "What's wrong with you?" he shouted. "What if the fire had spread from that toy to the whole plane? We're about a million miles away from the ground, you idiot!"

Sargon glared at him. "I would have been careful," he muttered darkly. "I would have only set you and Shadow on fire and then maybe the pilots. I've always wanted to try to fly a plane." He smiled innocently at Sonic, who looked repulsed.

"Maybe I should sit back here with you. Shads, I'm sitting with Sargon."

"Aw," Shadow fake-groaned "But I'll miss your sparkling conversation. Not." From the shifting sound, Sonic surmised that Shadow had gone back to sleep. He sat down in the empty seat next to Sargon, then asked "Wasn't there a guy sitting next to you?"

"Yeah, but he went to the restroom and never came back after I asked him how long it took flesh to burn. Why?"

"Because all his stuff is still here... Never mind." Sonic felt that he wouldn't be able to sleep on this flight after all. Not with Sargon acting all pyro. He sighed and got a book from Shadow before buckling back up to read.

* * *

About two or so hours later, the plane landed in DownUnda. It was about twelve at night and the guy who had been sitting near Sargon still had not appeared. The cyan hero suspected he had taken a parachute down. The three hedgehogs stretched and went to reclaim their luggage, Sonic keeping an eye on a sleeping Sargon at all times. They were watching the luggage carousal, Sonic dozing off every couple of seconds then startling awake again. After around a half an hour, Shadow muttered "Why is this taking so long?" and went to go 'talk' with the guy on the speaker of the airport. No one understood how he was able to smuggle a gun past the airport security but the speaker-guy realized the danger he was in instantly.

Meanwhile, Sonic caught the green eyes of a person in a hood watching them. When he realized Sonic was looking at him, the man tugged aside his hood a bit so the cobalt hedgehog could see gleaming silver metal coating one side of his face. The cyan hedgehog's eyes narrowed and he yanked Sargon to his feet. The orange-eyed hedgehog protested sleepily, digging his heels into the gray carpet like an upset toddler. The hero shook him swiftly and Sargon fully woke. "What?!" he snapped, wrenching his wrist out of Sonic's grasp.

Sonic jerked his thumb over towards the hooded person, his eyes trying to communicate the danger non-verbally. Sargon peered inquisitively over Sonic's shoulder before laughing "Are you kidding me?" he chortled "You're afraid of some random guy in a hood?"

The cobalt hero slapped a gloved hand over Sargon's mouth. "Are you insane? Shut up!" he hissed. The chartreuse hedgehog glared at him before starting to lick Sonic's glove repeatedly. The cyan hedgehog made a disgusted face, but chose to ignore it, mentally thinking that he was going to wash this glove later.

Shadow came up, looking in a much better mood now that he'd threatened someone. Their luggage was slung haphazardly over his shoulder and he was tucking a smoldering lump of twisted metal into his spines. Sonic highly suspected that Shadow had shot something if not someone, but wisely decided not to say anything. "So," said Shadow with a self-satisfied smirk "Where are we headed now, oh fearless leader?"

Sargon finally bit down hard on Sonic's hand, teeth tearing through cotton fabric into skin. The blue hedgehog yelped, jerking his hand away from the other. Sargon straightened and pulled a scrap of paper from Sonic's spines. "We're headed to Mount Zeil. What's that?"

"What does it sound like?" snapped Sonic, almost instantly regretting it. He barely ever yelled at anyone; that was Sally's job and occasionally Shadow's. He was sounding much older than he wanted to, almost, Sonic choked at the thought, like a parent.

"Hmm, what's got your spines in a bunch?" questioned Shadow, raising an eyebrow with another of his infuriating smirks.

"None of your business now, is it Goth Boy?" he fired back, instinctively raising his mental barriers in preparation for retaliation.

Shadow merely continued to smirk, reclining on one of the airport chairs like he owned the world. Sonic's spines smoothed. "Sorry for snapping, Sargon," he apologized, rubbing a sheepish hand over his head. Sargon's expression was beginning to mirror Shadow's; oddly satisfied with himself.

"It's perfectly fine, Sonic. Let's just go. I'm eager to leave this junkheap and get back to New Knothole." Several passerby cast Sargon ugly looks, ones that he seemed immune to. Sonic gripped Sargon's upper arm and Shadow's and started steering them out of the airport before someone got into an unnecessary brawl.

* * *

She trudged back to where she had left Psych, feeling irked. Her satchel was slung over her shoulder again and her eyelids were drooping in the most annoying fashion. "Great," she snarled "We lost them, thanks to those no-good airport idiots! What possessed them to switch around all the damn luggage?"

Psych grinned lopsidedly, the only way he could, what with his face. "They're not as far as you'd think, little sister. I found the blue one, Sonic, and overheard the greenish one talk about Mount Zeil. That's where they're headed."

The young woman wrapped her arms around her hooded brother. "Psych, you are a flipping genius!"

**Hi. Mount Zeil is an actual mountain in Australia and I'm 99.9% sure that DownUnda is based on Australia. The .1% is convinced it's based on Africa but I try not to listen to that .1% after the fiasco with whipped cream and Silly String. Hoped you enjoyed! T out!**


	8. Chapter 8

Amy trudged up the steps to Tonya's room. Her eyelids were drooping pathetically from a long day of comforting Cream. The little rabbit girl was refusing to leave Cheese's side as he twitched and cried in his endless sleep. Vanilla and Doctor Quack had been conversing in hushed tones. Amy had only heard snippets of their discussion and what she had heard was upsetting. "..cure.. dependent . may have to pull the plug.." But the worst was "I'm sorry."

Amy threw open the door so hard, it slammed into the wall. Tonya swiveled in her lavender chair, gasping softly. Amy's emerald eyes widened at the cable extending from Tonya's elbow to her computer. The lilac hedgehog rose, her arms held out pleadingly and her skort swishing. "Please, Amy, it's not what it looks like," she said softly.

Her friend backed away until her back touched the stair balcony. "I thought you were my friend," Amy whimpered. Tonya unplugged the cable from the computer and smiled as it was slurped back into her body, a flesh-and-fur covered panel sliding into place over wiring.

"I am your friend, Amy," murmured Tonya, coming slowly forward, her hands extended in a gesture of peace. "I have always been your friend. We shouldn't a little misunderstanding like this get in the way of our wonderful friendship."

"No," whispered the other girl, head lolling slightly to one side. Tonya smiled. She hadn't used her persuasion in a while, but Amy would still remember the cable and she couldn't have that. Moving closer, Tonya said quietly "You know, Amy, no-one's home. You wanted to try sliding on the banister, didn't you?"

"That was a while ago, Tonya. I was little. Besides your sister said no."

"But you're older now, Amy. And Tansy's isn't here right now. No-one would know unless you told them and you wouldn't do that, would you?"

"No, I wouldn't." Amy's head swung towards the banister as if she was considering. As she was doing that, Tonya grabbed her arm and led her towards the peak of the staircase. Amy looked at the lilac hedgehog and saw pure cruelty written there. In her muddled mind, she couldn't figure it out and in one swift motion, Tonya threw her over the balcony.

In mid-air, the hedgehog's mind cleared and she started to scream, flailing around for anything to break her fall. She found nothing so instead emerald met emerald. Tonya's eyes narrowed and she watched with a savage fascination as Amy hit the ground with a sickening crack. Blood pooled from beneath Amy's head and she gasped, shuddering violently. The robotic girl walked casually down the steps and crouched by the other. She was still conscious.

Tonya tutted and then slapped Amy in the temple. She instantly went still. Her green eyes flickered to the top of the steps and a plan began to formulate deep in her distant mind.

* * *

Sonic clambered up the mountain like a blue spider, oozing confidence and feeling much better after a snooze in the tour bus they'd taken to Mount Zeil. Sargon puffed after him, wiping away the sweat at his temples every few moments. Shadow brought up the rear,making sure that neither of them fell to their deaths. It was nine AM.

"So," asked Sonic after a few more handholds "How we doing?"

Shadow paused to unhook the GPS from his climbing belt. "About nine or ten more miles until we reach the top. Why, you getting tired, faker?"

"No way, Jose!" Sonic scrambled up a few more feet to prove his point, then slid back down, stopping just short of the other two.

"You know," said Sargon quietly "This is dangerous, climbing without the proper equipment. Someone could get hurt."

"Nah," dismissed the cobalt hero, reaching for the next ledge again. "Normal people get hurt. We have a flying Shads with rocket shoes to catch you if you fall."

"My name is Shadow, hedgehog, and don't you forget it," muttered Shadow, taking a sip of water. Sonic sat on a wider ledge just above the black hedgehog's head and gulped down some water too.

"Aw, don't be such a Gloomy Gus, Shaddy! The sun is shining, we're far away from any glomping fangirls, and we're on our own, climbing up a beautiful piece of Nature at her finest!" trilled the blue hedgehog, kicking his legs in a fit of glee.

"I didn't think you were such a hippie, Blue," snickered Shadow. Sargon ignored them and continued to climb, his orange eyes sparking maniacally. When he was just above Sonic, he made as if to grab the next handhold and fell backwards. A shriek ripped free from his throat and his body slammed into Sonic, knocking the blue hedgehog off his ledge. Feigning unconsciousness, Sargon peeped over the edge to see Shadow gripping the hero firmly by his scruff, struggling to hold him up and hang on to the mountain at the same time.

Sargon smirked, then produced a small remote from his shoe. He had taken the time during the plane ride while Sonic and Shadow dozed to unscrew the panels at the bottom of Shadow's shoes and destroy the fuel gauge that fed off Shadow's Chaos energy. Now they were running on a remote-operated system; the very remote that Tails had left unguarded during Sargon and Cream visiting his workshop. Sargon pointed the remote's antennae at Shadow's feet and turned the dial to low. The flames spurting out of the skates immediately dimmed and shrank.

Shadow's fingers, free of their gloves for a better grip on the rocks, slipped a bit due to the extra weight and the strain it put on them. The bit of ledge he held was the only thing keeping the two hedgehogs up. Shadow's eyes looked down. They had climbed so far in three hours, so high. The drop was dizzying and they were going to free fall down it. The Ultimate Lifeform closed his eyes and attempted to lift Sonic a bit higher. Damn the hedgehog and his obsession for chili dogs! He was too heavy. His fingers slipped a bit more. They were actually going to die this time.

* * *

She stared up the mountain with her binoculars. "Dag, dag, dag," she murmured, irritated. "They've gone too far to catch up quickly. We can still climb though and probably meet them halfway, but fighting these guards on a mountaintop won't do us any good. They've probably been trained by their obese master to be able to fight on any terrain. Psych, are you even listening to me?"

Turning to the other, she saw that he had been idly flicking pebbles around a makeshift circle for marbles. His guilty green eyes met her raging orange. "Whoops," he murmured "Sorry, Ally, go on."

She returned her binoculars to the mountain, slowly going up it and rolling her eyes at her older brother's antics. For a twenty-nine year old, he was rather immature. And at a time like this!

The girl's gaze halted on two dark specks on the side of the mountain. Adjusting the knobs, they came slowly into focus. Two hedgehogs were dangling off the side of Mount Zeil. A grim smile crossed her features. "Good," she said savagely "Nature will finish them off first. I'll only have one to pump for information but he'll be enough." Then she caught on a minute detail, one she hadn't caught before. Instead of being merely dark-furred as she'd previously thought, the hedgehog struggling to hang on was ebony. The binoculars dropped from her trembling hands. "Shit."

"What?" asked Psych, who was winning his marbles game. When he received no reply, the metal-plated hedgehog looked up. "Ally?"

"Psych... He's up the mountain." Her voice was shaking too now and she fought for control.

"_What_?" The half-Robian was on his feet in a second and peering at the mountain as well. When he hit the same conclusion, he grabbed his sister, roughly slinging her over his shoulder and running for the mountain. "Ally, flipping stop flipping out and get your mind back here!"

She was frozen, her mind replaying the picture in her head over and over again. She didn't even feel her brother holding her tightly.

"Gosh daggit Shade, focus!" The sound of her given first name jolted her out of it and the hedgehog girl ripped herself free of his grip and ran alongside him. They probably wouldn't make it, but for the first time in years, she had a chance to save him. And that lent wings to her feet. Tearing the mask off her face, her boots slammed the ground.

"Psych," she called "I want you to try to slow their fall, but if you can't, just break it."

Startled, the other hedgehog stared at her. "If I break their fall, it'll kill them! It will break their necks!"

"I trust you to try!" came the reply as Shade darted past him. Psych slowed and held up his hands, pointing the palms at the mountain. The mint-colored energy made of his mind, the psychic power he was named for, flowed quicker after all his years dead, as if it was struggling to escape his body, but the metal wouldn't let it. He stared at the falling specks and focused hard, picturing their fall slowing, trying with every fiber of his being.

_It isn't working,_ realized Shade as she reached the bottom of the mountain. Turning to her brother, she called as loud as possible, "Just break it, Psych! Just break it!"

He heard her and the words she called. Closing his eyes, the man's shoulders slumped, feeling the toll the power took, but pulling it back up anyway. "Psych out," he murmured and a green light shone all around the falling hedgehogs.

Sonic opened his eyes to slam into a flat surface. The pressure snapped a bone in his rib cage, but thankfully didn't break anything key, like his neck. From Shadow's surprised pants beside him, the ebony hedgehog wasn't dead either. Prying his cheek off the substance, Sonic looked down to see a girl looking up at him. Her eyes looked orange, even through the green of the platform.

"Y'know Blue, we've got to stop meeting like this." It was the girl from the warehouse. And she had black quills.

**Last full moon of the year, guys! Howl at it!**


End file.
